Final Distance
by Opal K. T
Summary: An FFT story. When the dead aren't as dead as previously thought, and what you think you know isn't all that accurate, how does the ending differ. Change the events at Ft. Zeakden, and everything changes.
1. Ft Zeakden

Final Distance  
  
Prologue-Fort Zeakden  
  
This story is full of what ifs. The predominant one, however, is 'what if, somehow, Algus and Teta survived?' That is what this story is mostly about. If Teta lived, what would Algus have to do with it? Why would he have been ordered to shoot her in the first place? What would *spoiler* have to do with this? Read and find out.  
  
Oh, one more thing. Final Fantasy Tactics doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Squaresoft. That means I am making no money off of this. I'm just your average penniless high school student, I can't even afford lunch… *sniff*  
  
  
  
Ja ne,  
  
Opal Teaterishidai  
  
Algus looked briefly at the crossbow bolt, checking the flights. They were red. Sighing, he loaded the Night Killer. The flights were red for two reasons. One, they were from a very special type of bird, two, for the blood he had no choice but to spill. He aimed and waited for the command.  
  
"Do it now," Zalbag ordered.  
  
Algus pulled the trigger and closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of the young girl's pained cry. Frowning, he loaded the second bolt and fired at Golagros. Delita had already begun to rush forward in rage. Algus closed his eyes again. This was it. It was over for him now.  
  
* * *  
  
Teta was only dimly aware off what was going on around her. The arrow had struck low and to the right, piercing her lung. Every breath was agonizing. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift. 'Why did he shoot me…why did Zalbag tell him to…' she frowned, shifting slightly as a wave of cure magic hit her. It wouldn't be enough, but maybe, if she could make it through the fight, they could get her back to Igros. Her mind drifted to the gunpowder in the storeroom of the fort. 'I hope it doesn't ignite,' she thought.  
  
She silently watched the battle unfolded below her as her world dimmed. She could hear Ramza's desperate pleas, telling her to hang on for just a little longer. She could hear the battle below her, still raging on. Sighing, she relaxed, noticing the flights of the arrow, protruding from her chest. They were an incandescent red, the color of a phoenix feather. She smiled. 'At least,' she thought, her world dimming, 'It's not the end."  
  
* * *  
  
Algus sank to the ground, clutching his stomach, the dull, coppery taste of blood welling up in his mouth. He looked up at Delita with dull eyes. If only they would go check on Teta, he was sure she was okay, she had to be. He could hear Ramza yelling from above. Algus sighed, closing his eyes, desperately trying to ignore the pain that was ripping through his body. Ramza asked him something that he couldn't make out, his world rapidly dimming despite his efforts to remain conscious. He heard himself speak, though afterwards, he wasn't sure what he said. Maybe he hadn't said anything, he could no longer tell. He felt the cold snow hit him and realized he must've collapsed. His body went numb, and the world seemed to fade out of existence.  
  
* * *  
  
Ramza frowned, looking at Algus. The @#$%&*^ had been hiding something. He looked back at Delita, his heart going out to his friend as the brunette boy knelt beside his fallen sister. Ramza sighed, such a waste of life. Suddenly the fort shook, an explosion racking through it.  
  
"Delita! We have to get out of here, now!" He yelled frantically. Delita didn't even look back at him. He simply held his sister closer, the fort going up in flames around him. Ramza called out again, but to no avail. Panicking, the blonde dropped everything and ran.  
  
  
  
Sometimes, even the most different of people come together. Will this be true for Algus and Teta? What about Marlene!?…wait, wrong game. What about Delita? Does he know Teta's alive? Find out in the next part of Final Distance; That Night on the Ramparts.  
  
Opal K. Teaterishidai 


	2. That night on the ramparts

1 Final Distance  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
2 That Night on the Ramparts  
  
  
  
As you may have guessed by the title, this chapter is almost entirely a flashback. It takes place the night before Ramza's crew leaves for the Thief's Fort. I think it will answer a few questions. Enjoy.  
  
Ah yes, the disclaimer. If you think that I own FFT and still write fanfiction for it, you are a crackpot. I don't own FFT, squaresoft does, and I am still just a penniless high school student.  
  
  
  
Teta sat on the ramparts staring at the sky, trying to suppress the tears running down her cheeks. The people at school had been so mean to her lately. Sighing she stared at the crescent moon. She had to stop letting it get to her, and she knew it. She didn't want her brother or Ramza to worry about her. She lay down and closed her eyes.  
  
"I wish I could get away from here, just for a little while," she whispered. "Just for a bit."  
  
She relaxed, her tears drying on her cheeks. A few minutes passed before she bolted upright. Some one was coming. She scrambled for cover, ducking behind a wall. She crouched silently and listened.  
  
* * *  
  
Algus frowned. This was his chance to prove himself; he could finally regain his family's status. So, why was he so uneasy about it? He shook his head and looked up at the sky. He couldn't let emotion get to him. He was being trusted with this assignment, he couldn't fail.  
  
"This is my chance, possibly the only one I'll get…" he looked at the landscape below, "I can't screw up…"  
  
Sighing, he sat down on the ramparts and stared at the moon. He had to calm down, he was too nervous. If he didn't get this done, and done right, it was as good as over.  
  
* * *  
  
Teta watched him silently. He seemed so nervous, so uncertain. He continued to sit there, muttering to himself. Teta caught a few comments about commoners, and how much he disliked them, but she couldn't hear what his problem was. Shaking her head, she turned to leave, dislodging a small stone as she did. She froze, listening for him but he didn't get up.  
  
She sighed in relief and continued down the stairs, tripping on the second step. She shrieked and threw her hands out to catch her self, keeping her eyes shut so she wouldn't see the ground rush up to her. She braced herself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, she felt something grip her wrist. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up at the figure that had stopped her fall. The cold glare of Algus Sadalfas is what she saw.  
  
He pulled her up and stared at her, making her feel small and frightened. Looking up at him, she stammered slightly.  
  
"Uh…thank you," she managed, still trying to meet his gaze. He just glared at her.  
  
"Why were you spying on me?" he asked coldly. Teta looked at the ground for a moment, then back at him.  
  
"I wasn't spying on you. I was here first, when I heard someone coming, I hid," she replied sternly. She stood her ground and watched him. It was a few moments before he replied.  
  
"Why didn't you simply leave, or make your presence known, rather than sat around and listened to me?" he asked his gaze like ice.  
  
Teta thought for a moment. Why hadn't she left? She looked at him, his cold glare frightened her, but she tried not to let it show. "I don't know. The thought never crossed my mind," she said softly, realizing by the look on his face that it had been the wrong thing to say.  
  
"Your kind don't seem to know a lot of things," he said coldly. Teta stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"M…my kind? Oh… you mean commoners," she looked at the ground for a moment. "It's not fair of you to judge people by their class," she said softly, hoping he wouldn't notice the tear rolling down her cheek. It didn't matter where she was. She would never get away from the truth. Nobles saw her as filth, even Dycedarg could be cold to her at times.  
  
"It doesn't matter what you think. You kind are as low as animals," he snapped. Teta jumped and looked up at him, meeting his gaze once more.  
  
"How can you say that!? Just because we are not rich, that does not make us any less human!" she defended. "We are just like you, we're all the same in God's eyes."  
  
"Hmph. Animals have no God," he turned to leave.  
  
"What!? How can you be so cold? There must be a reason," she grabbed him. "Algus! You say we are animals. Why? Why do you see us as such?"  
  
He turned sharply, raising his hand to cuff her, but she managed to dodge. He glowered at her, his eyes full of fury. "Why!? I'll tell you why, you villain. You're kind are filth, no more than knaves. All you have ever done is serve us, that is what you are meant to do. When you get out of place, you cannot lead yourselves, and like animals, you get out of hand. Like a pack of wolves, you kill for the money, you'll slit the throats of others for a gil," he paused for a moment, his anger focussing on her. He grabbed her harshly by the shoulder and looked into her eyes. "You killed my parents. Do you understand that, animal? Animals like you slaughtered my parents."  
  
Teta froze, her body stiffening with fear, but her mind was racing. That was the reason. His parents had been killed. It was enough to make anyone enraged, and he had imprinted all commoners on the ones who had murdered his family. His grip on her slowly loosened, and he let go. He didn't leave, however. Rather, he just stood there, staring at her, his eyes full of some hidden emotion. She looked into his eyes. Was it regret, possibly remorse? He was definitely sorrowed by the memory. She walked up to him.  
  
"It's okay. I understand," she said, hoping to comfort him.  
  
"How could you possibly understand?" he hissed.  
  
"I lost my parents too. It's a pain that never really goes away," she looked him in the eye. "I try not to think about it, but I can't help it sometimes. My parents may not have been killed, they were taken by the plague, but angry knights killed my aunt and cousin. That's why Balbanes adopted my brother and I, we had no where to go," she paused. "You see? We're not so different."  
  
Algus looked at her. The fury that had been in his eyes had mellowed to nothing and he seemed quite shocked. He faltered for a moment, then he turned away.  
  
"Algus? Please try," she called after him. He stopped and turned his head to look at her.  
  
"Maybe…" he said softly and left.  
  
* * *  
  
Teta opened her eyes and stared at the sky, allowing the soft snow to land on her face.  
  
"Algus…" she whispered. Sitting up, she pulled the cloak that had been lain across her closer. Gazing around her, she frowned. She couldn't see any survivors. Gingerly touching her shoulder, she winced at the burns. She looked at the wound on her chest. It was almost mended, the ashes of a phoenix down scattered on her dress. Pulling her self to her feet, she began to walk towards what was left of the main building of the fort. Algus had to be over there somewhere. He had to be alive.  
  
What next? Questions, comments, suggestions send to opal_10013@yahoo.com or leave them in your reviews. Flames will be used to heat the frozen tamales I found in my freezer. Ja ne,  
  
Opal K. Teaterishidai 


	3. Voices in the Snow

Final Distance  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Convenient Time for a Snow Storm, NOT!  
  
Okay, lame chapter title. Deal with it, I have a tradition to uphold here. Anyway, this is chapter 2, girl looks for guy, guy is a mess, girl needs to get guy help. Wow, how original of me.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned FFT, would I be writing a fanfiction?  
  
  
  
Cold, so cold…  
  
That was the first conscious thought that came to him. It was closely followed by the pain. The pain was horrible, like a fire burning through his insides. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn't find his voice. The pain was rising, ripping through his chest, he was dimly aware of the blood flowing from his mouth, and he wanted to scream. He was choking, choking on his own blood. He struggled feebly against the black blanket that was smothering him. A buzzing, like that of a hundred angry bees was filling his ears, then there was silence.  
  
* * *  
  
Teta ran through the snow and debris, the dull ache in her chest and the sting on her back forgotten, replaced by a sense of dread and foreboding. She had to find Algus, and she had to find him NOW!  
  
* * *  
  
Somewhere off in the distance he heard his name, two voices, one soft and comforting, the other desperate. He struggled against the darkness once more, but he couldn't fight it. The soothing voice was telling him to go back, he felt warmth on his chest, but it wasn't blood, it felt …pure. That was the only way to describe it. The desperate voice called out to him again. He could hear it more clearly now, the darkness was becoming easier to hold back. Something inside told him to call out to it, but he couldn't. The blood kept getting in the way…  
  
* * *  
  
Turning sharply, Teta gazed at a small pile of debris. The chunks of wood and stone formed an over hang, sheltered from the whipping snow and wind. Making a mental note of where it was, she broke into a run. The snow was coming down harder now and it was almost nightfall. She had to be getting closer, the sense of foreboding was growing greater in her chest. She was afraid of what state she would find him in, but he had to be alive.  
  
"ALGUS!"  
  
* * *  
  
The desperate voice was back after it's few moments' silence. He struggled a final time, throwing him self onto his side. The blood flowed out of his mouth, he was no longer choking, he could breathe. He tried to call out again, coughing once, twice, he felt the blood clearing from his mouth, he coughed again, and cried, his voice cracked and weak.  
  
"I…I'm…h…Here!"  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Teta froze. She had heard his voice. Turning towards the sound, she gaped slightly.  
  
"Algus?"  
  
She ran towards his prone form. He was lying in a pool of blood, trembling with the effort he was putting out to remain conscious. Kneeling down beside him, she gently touched his face. He shuddered and turned his head to face her.  
  
"Te..Teta?" He croaked. His world seemed dim; everything was fuzzy. Teta frowned, he was very feverish and he was probably freezing. Carefully wrapping the cloak around him, she took a mental note of his injuries. He would bleed to death if she didn't get him to a chemist soon.  
  
"It's gonna be alright, just hang on," she whispered, as she pulled him up. Placing his arms around her neck, she half carried, half-dragged him to the shelter. After checking to make sure he wasn't going to die on her, she took off, scavenging the rubble for potions. She only found two. They wouldn't be enough to heal him completely, but maybe they could last through the night. Reentering the small shelter, she sat beside him. He was still shaking, but he had made an effort to move, drawing the cloak tightly around himself.  
  
"Here," she said, handing him one of the potions. He took it with a bloodied hand, nodding his thanks. Teta watched him until he fell asleep, then stared at the stars, sighing. The storm would clear in the morning, then she had to get him to a doctor.  
  
* * *  
  
Wiefgraf frowned at the sky. He had seen the smoke billowing in the distance, and knew what must have happened. Silently praying for survivors, he saddled Boco and another chocobo and took off towards the ruins of Ft. Zeakden. 


	4. Snowfall

Sorry it's been awhile.  I've been busy with stuff.  Well, now I'm back, and I'm gonna finish this fic.  That's right. Squee!

_BTW this chappie starts out in a flashback, thus the additional italics._

________________________________________________________________________

_            Her big brother told her to stay put as he went to investigate the farmhouse.  They're parents had left the previous day to tend to the animals and hadn't returned.  What was worse was the way the whole area seemed almost too still, like something was drastically wrong. _

_            And something was._

_Teta shifted uncomfortably, staring at the door, waiting for her brother and parents.  What was taking so long?  Sighing, she walked towards the barn, clutching her doll tightly.    _

_She entered cautiously, her large brown eyes sweeping the area.  There was no one there.  She frowned and ventured further in.  _

_"Hullo?" she called.  "Mama?  Papa?"_

_No answer.  She peeked in the stalls.  The animals were sleeping.  Why were they sleeping in the middle of the day?  She walked up to the chocobo and gently patted it's beak.  It was cold.  _

_"Poor bocobo," she said sweetly and a blanket over the creature.  "There.  All better."_

_She wandered on, finding no one.  Finally she went to the farmhouse to look for her brother.  She had scarcely entered the door when he appeared. _

_"Teta!"  He grabbed her and exited quickly, heading towards the tool shed.  "I told you not to follow me," he said, sitting her down on a stool._

_"But I was lonely…and you was taking so long…" she stammered._

_He paused looking at her, his expression sad.  He hugged her close.  _

_"I'm sorry, Te.  I shouldn't have left you alone for so long.  I don't want to lose you."_

_"If you lost me, then you'd have to come find me," she said simply.  _

_He smiled at her.  _

**_"Hullo!  Is there anyone alive out there?"  _**

****

            Teta's head snapped up and she looked around.  Algus stirred only slightly, his eyes glassy.  Frowning, Teta exited the shelter, looking for the source of the voice.  She _knew_ that voice.

            "Weifgraf!?" she called.

            Weifgraf froze, nearly dropping a piece of debris on his foot when he heard the voice.  He turned and scanned the area, the stark contrast of purple to brown and white catching his eye.  He whistled for Boco and ran towards the girl.

            "Teta?  You're alive?" 

            She gave him a look and crawled back into the shelter, reappearing a moment later, half-dragging, half-carrying Algus.

            "He's lost a lot of blood, and I could only scavenge a few potions.  Do you have any?  He needs to see a chemist."

            Had Weifgraf been holding anything, he would've dropped it. 

*          *            *

            Teta looked out the window, watching the snow fall on the city streets.  Her chest still ached a bit, although she hadn't noticed until she learned Algus was going to be okay.  

            'I guess I was so worried about him that I blocked it out,' she thought.

            It seemed as if Weifgraf questioned her judgment in saving him every day.  She didn't mind, she had wondered herself more than once.  She supposed it was because of his past, and that she knew he had put the phoenix down on that bolt.  Perhaps it was even some subconscious whim to change the world.  Whatever it was, she didn't regret it.  At least not yet.

            Algus shifted slightly, wincing.  It still hurt to move.  As great as potions were, they didn't heal near fatal wounds in a day.  They just kept the heart beating, and even then, one could still die.  He had been lucky.  He owed Teta, a commoner, his life.

            He turned his head and looked out the window.  It was still snowing.  

            He sighed and rested his head back on the pillow.  

            "I really hate snow…" he muttered.


End file.
